There are many changes happening in 2017 for the Clark family. This past fall, we purchased 8 acres of farm land and are currently in the process of building a new home on the property. We are so excited to have our dream of building our own home come true! Our plan is to move in this spring and eventually start our own hobby farm; vegetable gardens, fruit trees, chickens, goats and maybe a pig or two:) It’s going to be a busy house with two toddlers, a dog and who knows how many more animals running around!

With the new adventures to come, we’ve decided to make some changes to our business. Although, we love photographing weddings, we’ve made the decision to cut that part out of our business. We will continue to photograph families and seniors, so we’ll still be able to do what we love – just on a smaller scale. We will not be saying goodbye to the wedding industry all together though, since I (Jessica) still plan to design custom wedding stationery for newly engaged couples.

We have been very fortunate to have worked with so many great couples over the past 6 years and are truly grateful for each wedding we took part of and the friendships that came out of them. It will be bittersweet to say goodbye, but ultimately, we know it’s the best decision for our family. Here is a look back of some of my favorite moments…

It’s kind of funny how we met Jessica and Patrick. Jessica happened to be searching the web for Milwaukee wedding photographers and sent Patrick a link to our website. After clicking on the “About” page he realized he knew me. Turns out we work together! He stopped by my desk, told me the story and we ended up meeting later that week for some cocktails.

When we heard Jessica’s vision for an outdoor wedding at Kohler-Andrae State Park we couldn’t help but get excited. Then we heard more of their personal story and were even more excited to work with them. They ended up taking an epic honeymoon adventure through South America after the wedding – check out Jessica’s blog, seriously jealous of their adventures!

I can’t imagine that many places as unique as Camp Wandawega exist. With its rich history and beautiful setting, it provided the perfect backdrop for Shawn and Emily’s outdoor camp wedding.

Emily got ready near the camp at the quaint Ye Olde Manor. A perfect little getaway on it’s own, it provided a relaxing atmosphere for the girls to get ready while the guys shot archery back at the camp. While rain was in the forecast throughout the day it held off and allowed for a beautiful ceremony at the camp’s outdoor chapel. Guests were then free to explore the camp while enjoying cocktails and playing yard games. The night came to a close with an epic bonfire and a packed dance floor. Let’s do this again sometime you two, ok?

“Let us hope that we are preceded in this world by a love story.” -Of Time and Memory

I was introduced to this quote by the movie Sweet Land, which Jessica and I watched shortly after photographing Kevin & Laura’s farm wedding. The movie touches on a lot of the aspects that make photography important to me – family, history and memory. It reminded me a lot of this day as Kevin and Laura were married on Kevin’s family farm in Eldorado, Wisconsin. Surrounded by family and friends in a place rich with their family history making new memories. It made me think about what I want for my family. It made me want to buy a farm.

The day was full of fantastic details – a hand drawn map of the farm by a dear friend, hand painted signs and a really killer vintage dress. But nothing beats the emotion and human element of a day like this one. Congrats you two!

With summer coming to an end, I thought I would share a lovely invitation suite that shows off some of the beauty that summer provides. My favorite time of year is when our lilac tree blooms. It’s amazing lavender flowers are so gorgeous and the smell is just incredible. I took several photos to preserve it’s beauty and used them throughout this vintage inspired invitation suite.

Being an artist at heart, I have been so eager to have the opportunity to get down to the basics and draw (I’m talking real paper and pencil). This past wedding season allowed me to take a step out of the digital word a bit and let me create things with my hands. I am absolutely in love with the process of sketching, erasing, sketching some more, then scanning it into a digital file to fine tune the details. The personal touch it adds to each piece puts a big smile on my face.

Back in 2012 Jessica and I honeymooned in Greece. It was a dream vacation. We hopped 3 different islands during our time there starting in Santorini then making our way to Paros before spending a few days in Mykonos and ending in Athens. These are some of my favorite frames from the trip.

Apparently brewery tours are getting so big at Lakefront Brewery that they decided to stop hosting weddings and we had the pleasure of photographing the very last one. It should come as no surprise really… everything takes a backseat in Milwaukee when it comes to beer. Angie and Eric threw an epic party sending Lakefront weddings out in style.

Here in Wisconsin we have a real gem “hidden” in Two Rivers. The Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum is dedicated to the preservation, study, production and printing of wood type.They host a yearly gathering called a Wayzgoose and Jessica and I were lucky enough to attend this past year.

To me, a completely new experience. Something about that building… the people… the sights, sounds and smells. Something old school and something I needed. We broke out in to workshops throughout the day, learning about various things such as impression, understanding rules so you can break them, documenting your process and cutting your own wood type with a pantograph. I spent the day in awe – taking it all in. After all, I knew nothing about any of this. Listening so intently to these artists with such a passion for keeping wood type and letterpress alive. Perhaps most of all, I learned what it means to be dedicated. I learned what it means to respect a craft.

In the end it’s a clunky technology, letterpress. It’s rollers and ink – spindles and gears – metal and wood – accuracy and precision – time consuming and thought provoking – creative and destructive – it’s physical and challenging… and it’s made with your hands. A thank you goes out to the good people hosting the 2013 Wayzgoose – you reinforced within me that print is beautiful and is alive and well.

When Mark & Marki contacted us about photographing their wedding at The Rave / Eagles Ballroom in Milwaukee, we couldn’t help but reminisce on all of the concerts we’ve attended there over the years. This historic Milwaukee landmark is incredible and we were so excited to be able to photograph a wedding there. Originally a ballroom, it has hosted everything from boxing matches to concerts to ethnic dances. There is a second floor, with a row of balconies around the oval, from one side of the stage to the other. Staying with the music theme they used their favorite albums for centerpieces and kicked the party off with a live band, Dead Horses. From the hand made wild flower bouquets to the handsome ring bearer it really was a day to remember. Congrats you two, thanks for having us out!

Also, this wedding was recently featured over at Hi-Fi Weddings. Be sure to check them out for some serious music inspiration for your big day!